My Lady
by Ha ha I'm so alone
Summary: When the Lady Morgana is attacked in the courtyard by one of Uther's men, Arthur and Merlin seek revenge. But her attacker has powerful magic, and it's up to Merlin alone to avenge his friend out of sight from Arthur and the king. Set in s1 before Morgana turns evil.
1. Chapter 1

**A massive warning to those who read this… it has scenes of rape/sexual violence in it and I would hate hate HATE to upset you guys. Also, Morgana is a little OOC in this fic... a little ****_too _****nice. But I wanted to portray her as someone with less defenses than normal, as that's how women were back then. **

**You were warned my dear reader. **

The sky bled to an inky black as Morgana flitted elegantly along the cobblestones of the courtyard. She smiled at the emotionless guards as she passed, before walking towards the more hidden, secluded area of the yard. The night was dark. So dark that she hardly saw a helmetless guard flattened against the wall. Her smile dropped as she glanced, frowning at him. She hadn't seen him before; he was young, tall, with the shadow of a beard and long brown hair.

All of a sudden she felt her legs buckle beneath her, and she released a cold gasp as she collapsed to the floor. 'My Lady,' the guard stepped out slowly from the shadows as Morgana gasped again. There were flecks of gold in his eyes as he held a hand out in front of him, pinning the woman to the ground with seemingly nothing. Morgana tried to open her mouth but no sound came out. She could only gasp confusedly as the guard stooped down and picked her up. She frowned, gasped, trying to flail away from him desperately. 'Shh,' he whispered, his voice sickeningly smooth. 'It's alright Morgana.' Looking either side of him he ducked into the side of the stone building fleetingly, the woman still restrained in his grip. She was struggling to breathe, her wintery blue eyes full of desperate panic as the guard laid her down on the floor.

She couldn't move now. She couldn't speak. What was he going to do to her?

Still gasping, the guard kneeled beside her. 'You're very beautiful,' he whispered. 'Do you know that?' A tear escaped her eye, running sideways down her cheek. He brushed it away as she tried with all her might to summon strength into her arms. Her lungs were bursting with disgorged screams as she managed to feebly curl her fingers into a fist. Her face was near-sweating as she twisted her eyebrows into a scowl, her throat moving wildly, trying to make any sort of sound. He ignored her, instead taking his hand on her ankle and slowly sliding her skirt up the length of her leg. Her skin was milky-white and smooth, pale, like gooseflesh. He wondered if it was as cold as it looked, imagined lowering himself between those thighs…

Her breath was out of control now, her eyes as wide as the enchantment would allow, her mind ricocheting away from sense, her throat thinning in intensity. Tears of hate stung her eyes, but they were lost in the darkness of the night as he rolled her skirts up higher until they were rumpled by her waist.

Her skin was paler in this light, and it was perfect, unblemished. Her thighs were unmarred, and her angular hip-bones jutted from her flesh like misplaced shoulder-blades. She tried to look away as he calmly removed his trousers, but the spell kept her eyes in place so she couldn't even close them. Sickness swilled within her. He was almost there now, almost inside her. She was desperate. She prayed for someone to come and save her, Uther, Gwen, Arthur, Merlin, Gaius… anyone. But there was no stopping the man from sheathing himself slowly and painfully inside of her.

An unfathomable pain stretched her insides as he shattered through her virginity. She was so lost, so terrified, so confused… she wasn't even sure what he was doing to her, for she'd been raised without any sexual knowledge. All she knew was that it was painful and wrong.

He moved swiftly above her, a black shadow sliding in and out of her most private place. A sob and a scream caught in her throat. She managed to clench her eyes shut out of pure pain, her face twisted in horror, her mouth open. The man was making strange noises, panting, grunting, and he began to move more quickly above her. Morgana managed a whimper as he became more vigorous, leaning forwards and pressing his cold mouth onto her lips. He slid his slimy tongue into her mouth, swilling it around deep inside her throat as the woman choked on it; he tasted foul. His lips pressed even harder on her as he groaned into her mouth, the swollen muscle of his tongue making her gag.

He was moving much harder now, like steel inside her, sliding in and out. She could feel him rupturing her tender flesh, her sacred space, like someone was stabbing her repeatedly. Her eyes remained shut, her mouth full with the fleshy pocket of tongue, tears bleeding from her. Uther would have his head for this. A thousand times.

Her mind was a messy tangle, confused, terrified, like in a nightmare. Sweat dampened her brow. He became faster, and she felt herself fill with something hot, in a place so deep it made her gasp.

Then it was gone.

He slid himself out of her as slowly as he liked, making her small waist rise before flopping heavily on the ground. Taking a fistful of her green skirt he cleaned himself up with it, making vomit rise in her throat. She felt so empty now. Cold. He gently folded her semen-stained dress back over her porcelain legs, savoring a moment to kiss her mouth again. A dribble of his own saliva was left hanging from her dry lips. She longed to scrub it away. She wanted to scream. Oh God, when this was over, when this spell was lifted, she'd beat that man to the ground.

'Now listen here sweetheart,' he breathed in her ear, making her dark hair rustle. 'I rather enjoyed that. I'd be happy to do it again,' her eye widened in fear. 'So you won't tell anyone about this, will you? Because I could do it in front of the whole kingdom, I could force them to watch… and you wouldn't want that, would you?' Morgana's blood ran cold. She thought of Arthur and Uther, fixed to the spot, their eyes upon her. It was the most degrading thing she could think of. 'Now I'm going to lift the spell,' he continued, his breath hot on her ear. 'And you're going to make your way back to your chambers, you're going to go to bed, and you're not going to speak of this to anyone.' He paused, lifting himself from her weakened body. With a click of the fingers movement flooded back through her arms and legs like warmed blood, and she let a gasp slide from her throat. She thought she'd feel stronger once she was freed, but she just felt heavy, waterlogged, as the full pain hit her. The guard walked away smugly, retaking his place by the castle wall.

Morgana staggered to her feet, clenching her eyes shut and whimpering. Her beautiful hair was a mess, tangled over her paled face. She could feel how damp her forehead was, sickly and sour with warmth, her palms were sweating and she was shaking heavily. Limping, she made her way back to the castle, through the open doorway and up the stone steps. All of a sudden she stopped, flattening herself against the wall and crumpled to the floor. She hid her face in her hands, her shoulders jerking with sobs, quivering as her cries rang out loudly through the castle. Oh God, what a _mess_. Whatever was she to do now?

Picking herself shakily from the ground she stood, gripping the rope handrail with both hands, inching her way painfully up the stairs. Once at the top she hurriedly cut across to her chambers before throwing off the stained dress and tugging her nightgown over her head. Her insides ached as she laid down on her bed, tucking her knees beneath her chin and shivering. She jumped when she heard the door creak open.

Gwen emerged, and she relaxed. 'You've gone to bed early my lady,' she said, smiling warmly. Morgana shot her a very weak smile in return.

'Yes… I was tired,' she slowly slid a hand under her pillow.

'Do you need anything? Extra blankets?'

'Oh, erm, no thank you, Gwen.'

'Alright, sleep well then,' and with that the servant left the room, closing the thick oak door behind her.

Morgana's mind was frenzied, thumping with thought. What had that man done to her? He'd obviously hurt her in some way… but she couldn't inform Gaius about it; she couldn't have it happening again. Clenching her eyes shut her mind took a different, seemingly random turn.

She thought back to events in the throne room, where she'd sat beside Uther with Arthur stood somewhere near the door. A man would come through the doors, usually a peasant, and he'd make allegations against another man, saying that his wife or daughter had been raped. Arthur would lower his head and everyone would shift uncomfortably, as Morgana would frown in confusion. Uther would often have her sent out of the room for reasons of which she couldn't understand, as she was left outside, mulling the ugly word over in her head. She'd often asked Arthur what the word meant, but he'd shake his head, saying that he couldn't tell her.

It was something private, intimate, wrong. It was something that made the whole court room shuffle in embarrassment. That was what the guard had done to her. There was no doubt about it; he'd raped her.

**I know it's clunky, but it's my first sex scene in a fic. I also want to clarify that I do NOT want to portray rape as a good thing. It is a horrible thing, and this isn't some weird rape fantasy fic. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Not too bad in this chapter, although I will say that Arthur is a little OOC in this one, because I like the idea of a slightly more loving brother figure here rather than... well... ****_Arthur. _**

**I don't ship them or anything, just like the idea of them having a sibling love. **

**Review and I shall be forever in your debt *bows***

The next morning there was a gnawing ache in her stomach and blood on the front of her nightgown. She groaned in anguish, heaving herself into a sitting position; it was the feast today, and she had to be up early. Sticking her fingers into her messy curls, she whipped back the covers of the bed and ducked swiftly behind her dressing screen. There she dragged her tin washbasin over, tore the dress from her body and stepped into the cold water.

She shivered. It was yesterday's bathwater, but it would have to do. Crouching down she began to scrub at her body, her thighs, her mouth, the ear he'd breathed such hot breath on. But she couldn't abolish the feel of him from her. Not in a million years.

'Morgana?' Gwen's confused voice came from the other side of the dressing screen. Morgana jumped.

'Just a moment,' she said, panicked as bathwater sloshed noisily. Gwen frowned.

'Are you bathing?'

'Y-yes.'

Her frown deepened. Why on earth was Morgana bathing in yesterday's bathwater?

'Well… may I get you some fresh water?' Morgana paused.

'Yes,' and with that she stood, using a towel to cover herself as Gwen appeared behind the screen. She gave her mistress an odd look, before taking the washbasin by its handles and bustling out of the room.

_Something's up_ she thought. _Morgana's acting strangely… is she ill?_

With the thought in mind she refilled the tub with warm water and continued to dress Morgana for the day.

Morgana had been to many feasts. They'd all seemed to have blurred into one warm chattering mess. Uther would say his short speech- about the Great Purge or whoever it was they were honoring- and then the room would come to life, people eating, music, laughter… it was often sickening but made the woman smile to herself; she did always like seeing people happy.

But today was different. Uther's speech seemed to drag on for so long it was painful. He was stood beside her as she sat uncomfortably, her eyes fixed on the floor, her breath hitched, a frown creasing her brow. Her stomach was in agony; she was sure that if she were to eat she'd vomit it straight back out.

Only hearing snippets of his speech, she soon realized he was honoring one of his knights. The sound of clapping erupted, making the room echo with noise, and Morgana raised her head to see the man standing in front of her.

She gasped. Her blood ran cold.

It was him.

It was the guard.

All the noise in the room seemed to filter from her ears. The room was turned sideways as a chill bolted through her and her lips fell open. With his eyes trained on her, he stepped closer, that same smug smirk on his face. She felt sick as he slowly took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the shaking white flesh. She could feel his brown stubble scratch at her skin as a scream rose within her, getting stuck somewhere near her gullet. 'My Lady,' he said. It was that same velvet voice. It was him.

She gasped, her eyebrows furrowed as if she were in pain as the man smirked slyly, walking away from her.

With her heart thumping she began to listen to Uther, saying of how the new knight, Sir DeMalo, was being honored for his exceptional bravery. Morgana found she couldn't look away from his face, the face that had been smiling in the evil darkness, the face that haunted her.

Soon the room was brimming with noise and music once more. Shaking, Morgana began to delicately cut up her morsels of food slowly. The meat was slimy.

_Like his tongue._

She began to retch, thinking of how he'd stuffed his tongue into her mouth, the slippery fleshy muscle filling her up and gagging her.

'Are you alright Morgana?' Uther asked suddenly. Again, Morgana jumped at the sound, dropping her knife and fork with a clatter.

'Oh, I erm… yes, I'm fine, fine, thank you.' The king eyed her for a second before turning back to his meal. Morgana pressed her legs together, pain building up between them. It was only then when she was scouring the scene did she see Arthur looking at her suspiciously.

Arthur.

She thought for a second.

She could tell Arthur, couldn't she? She trusted him. If she were to tell the king then it would never stay between them, and Uther would have him sentenced to death, although she knew DeMalo would win. She couldn't tell Gwen, for she'd be killed if she kept the secret from Uther.

Arthur didn't have the authority to kill DeMalo. He had the stamina, and would probably have the anger, but not the power.

And he'd understand that he couldn't put his sister through it again.

Staggering to her feet, Morgana sloppily pushed her chair back, keeping eye-contact with Arthur. He cocked his head to one side, raising an eyebrow before he too stood discreetly and they both made their way towards one of the stone archways. It was a plan they'd formulated when they were very young, whereby when the feast got boring they'd both leave the room without approaching one another, walk out of the hall through the nearest stone archway and play there together until they were ready to go back inside.

Today, of course, it was different.

They both made their way through the stone archway until they were facing one another. Morgana's face was sorrowful. 'A-Arthur,' she began, her face pale and frightened.

'What is the_matter_ with you today Morgana?' he asked, smirking.

'I… I was just…'

'I saw you with DeMalo… you were practically drooling over him,' he looked back to her, the smile still on his face. All of a sudden Morgana felt she couldn't bear it. Tears stung her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Arthur dropped the smile abruptly when he saw them, frowning slightly. 'Morgana,' he said in a low voice, taking hold of her shoulders. 'Are you alright?'

'I'm fine!' she cried, shaking her head.

'What is it?' he persisted, suddenly anxious. A cold sweat sprang to his armpits. 'What's wrong?' She looked away, her face twisted in sadness.

She wished she'd never started this.

'Morgana?' his voice turned sympathetic as he tried looking her in the eyes. It was hard to mask his confusion and nervousness. 'You can tell me.'

She looked up at him, her pale eyes still glistening. 'Arthur,' she started slowly. 'Yesterday,' suddenly she sobbed, putting a hand to her mouth.

'Morgana what's happened?!' he was still holding tightly to her shoulders.

She clenched her eyes shut, took a deep breath and then said 'yesterday… in the courtyard…' It was painful to even remember it, but she had to tell someone.

'What happened in the courtyard?'

'DeMalo.' Her voice was low, angry sad and terrified.

'DeMalo, what about him?'

'He… he…'

'What Morgana, what did he do?'

Morgana swallowed, her eyes on the ground, before saying in a very quiet voice 'he raped me.'

Arthur's eyelids fluttered as he abruptly let go of his sister's shoulders and took a step backwards. He was flooded with a cold sadness, his body jerked as the realization hit him, almost like he'd been shot. All of a sudden his eyes clouded with rage and his face twisted in anger as his hand shot to his belt and he abruptly unsheathed his sword. 'Arthur!' Morgana suddenly grabbed hold of his arm as he tried to bolt from the stone archway. He shot his head towards her.

'What?'

'You can't comprehend him.'

_'__What!?'_

'He has magic,' she said sadly, and Arthur realized her hand was digging into his arm in a desperate attempt to keep him there.

'Morgana, let go of me!'

'No Arthur! You don't understand, he threatened me with magic!'

'Well… what did he say?'

Morgana glanced quickly through the stone archway to make sure no-one was watching them before lowering her voice. 'He said he'd do it again,' she whispered, her eyes full of sadness.

'Morgana,' Arthur's voice was full of sympathy again as he lifted her chin with his finger. 'I _won't_ let that happen.'

'But he used magic to…' she paused and frowned. '_Keep_ me there. On the floor.' Arthur could feel anger rise in him like a bodiless scream. He'd kill that man. 'And he said that… if I told anyone, or if he was threatened… he'd do it again, only in front of the kingdom.' Arthur felt the urge to clench his eyes shut, hoping it would stop the thoughts going through his head. 'He has powerful magic, Arthur… don't tamper with him.'

Looking Morgana straight in the eyes Arthur reluctantly slid his sword back into its sheath, the sharp noise making her flinch. Morgana began to sway, flattening herself against the stone wall. Arthur gently pulled her towards him until her head was against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her; she was shaking badly, and it felt as if he were holding a trapped baby bird. Morgana paused before wrapping her arms around his back. He felt so warm. Safe. She pulled herself closer to him, drinking in his softness and warmth before eventually letting go.

'We have to get back,' she said firmly. Arthur nodded, proud of how brave she was being.

'I take it I can't tell father?' She shook her head hard, like a little child. That's how Arthur saw her then. A child. Lost, meek, feeble and oh so innocent. There was an overwhelming urge to protect her as the two walked from the stone archway and back into the busyness of the room. They'd only been gone for two minutes but it was miraculous how different Arthur felt, how much he knew, the burden he now bore.

Morgana sat back down beside Uther, flushed, her head down. All throughout the night Arthur shot glances at DeMalo, an unfathomable anger roaring within him. Each time the man would take a step towards Morgana he'd flinch, as she had, his hands clenching into fists. By the time the night was over Arthur was as desperate as his sister to leave the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Gonna rate this chapter M just to be safe... more sexual violence... be careful**

**Also, reviews would be quite nice. Don't be shy, be nice to see a bit of Merlin fandom (:**

'Morgana,' he said, approaching her discreetly after the feast was over. He took hold of her shoulders, pulling her protectively towards himself again. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. 'Let me escort you to your chambers,' he said firmly, taking her by the hand. Morgana tugged her arm away from him.

'No,' she said. 'I'll be fine, I swear.'

'Morgana, I insist; you're not walking through the castle alone, not with that… _lunatic_ after you—' all of a sudden he stopped mid-sentence and Morgana felt the horrifying familiarity of stiffness run through her. They were both stuck rooted to the spot, disabled of speech, as DeMalo's voice echoed through the hallway.

'Mane. Et nunc state,. Non adsumes et transferes. Tu, hebescere,' he chanted, his eyes aglow. Morgana gasped again, blinking desperately as DeMalo approached nearer. Arthur's face twisted in acute anger despite his paralyzed state, the hate for his sister's rapist evident in his eyes. DeMalo smirked, as he took Morgana's arm roughly in his hand, forcing her backwards until her upright spine met with a crash against the stone wall. Arthur continued to scowl as Morgana whimpered in terror. 'You did not follow my instructions My Lady.' His voice was smooth and hot on her ear once more, thick with lust. He switched his eyes from Arthur to Morgana. Arthur's throat was moving. It was obvious he wanted to scream out his anger and hatred for the man. 'It was a simple request really, and I warned you of the… consequences,' his hand crept up her thigh as she gasped loudly, great, shuddering gasps that rattled through her small frame. Looking a horrified Arthur in the eyes he pressed his lips on Morgana's, sliding his tongue into her mouth again. He kissed her hungrily, tongue swishing inside of her motionless mouth, her brother standing helpless beside them. Pinning her to the wall with magic he lifted the fold of her skirt with one hand until her thighs were exposed.

Then, grinding his body against hers, he pushed his member into her cloth-covered entrance, a look of disgusting bliss on his face. He didn't jerk into her again though, he simply stood there, his body inside hers, kissing her ferociously. He slid a threesome of fingers into her black hair, tugging it backwards forcefully, her white canvas of forehead fully exposed. Slowly removing his mouth from hers, still resting inside her, he turned to face Arthur. Oh, how he savored the look on his face! Tears were sliding from Arthur's glistening eyes, his face a mess of sadness and disgust. His throat was moving so wildly it made DeMalo grin; the desperation in him was so profoundly evident. He slowly faced Morgana again. 'You really are a pleasure my dear Morgana. An absolute-' he thumped into her once 'Pleasure. But I doubt Arthur here would be stupid enough to go telling tales. So, I'll cut you a little slack,' Tears escaped her eyes, as he'd thrust himself much deeper into her. It was so brutal, so horrible, knowing Arthur was watching him virtually rape her. 'Here's the deal; We leave it now. Arthur tells no-one. And I'll spare you the humiliation. Sound like a plan?' he turned back to Arthur. 'How about it Arthur? You want the whole kingdom to see me shag Morgana? Or will you keep your mouth shut?' He tugged again at her hair as Arthur scowled, his eyes red from the painfully gentle tears that marched down his face. 'I'll take that as a yes,' he muttered, before sliding himself out of the girl.

She collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap, as floppy and non-responsive as a ragdoll. Her limbs fell about the place like pale lumps of flesh, her chin wobbling, making a noise that sounded close enough to sobbing. With that DeMalo backed away from the scene, leaving with a flourish, before clicking his fingers and freeing the siblings of their enchantment.

The first thing Arthur did was bolt towards Morgana. He dropped to his knees beside her, lifting her up under the arms, moving her body towards his. She was sobbing now, her cries muffled as she buried her face in his shoulder and gripped his back with her hands. Arthur didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. There was an overwhelming hatred that was bubbling in him, the yearning to kill that man was immense. Yet at the same time he was stricken with sadness and horror, as the full intensity of the situation hit him. And simply seeing him with Morgana, simply watching him thrust into her as he watched helplessly, was torture in itself. He was holding Morgana as tightly as he could, terrified that DeMalo would come back and force them to part once more. He just wanted her safe.

He shared her tears, they slid silently down his cheek as he tried his best to comfort Morgana, holding her closely. Slowly, very slowly, he rose from the floor, still clutching her.

Neither of them spoke at all as he carried her to her chambers, her face pale, her body limp and lifeless, as if the spell was still on her. Gwen raised her head as the door slammed open, and her eyes widened when she saw Arthur carrying Morgana. 'Oh God!' she squeaked, swearing unconsciously. Arthur ignored her, laying Morgana gently down on her bed and tucking the covers over her body.

He'd never treated his sister like this before. Of course, he did love her, but it was seldom that he would be so courteous and chivalrous towards her.

But when one's morals are stretched to blind desperation, uncharacteristic love takes over.

'Arthur… what… what happened!'

'She collapsed,' he said calmly.

'Oh my God! Why?!'

'Don't fret Gwen, she was simply overwhelmed,' irritation crept into his voice. Standing, Gwen turned.

'I'll get Gaius,' she said hurriedly, pattering delicately towards the door.

'No!' Arthur stood, his voice strained with unnecessary anger. Gwen whipped around, frowning. 'She will be _fine!' _Slowly lowering himself back down onto the side of her bed he sniffed at Gwen, as if in apology. 'Please leave us,' he said in a low voice, and the maid reluctantly backed out of the room.

Shutting the door behind her, Gwen left the room, a frown on her face. _Something's definitely up _She thought to herself. _Now they're _both_acting strange. _Her mind was so enwrapped in thought that she didn't notice the fact that she was walking straight towards Merlin. Soon the two collided, causing Gwen to snap out of her mindset.

'Oh! Sorry!' she gabbled. Merlin smiled, swerving around and gently taking hold of her shoulders.

'Sorry… are you alright?'

Gwen opened her mouth to confirm that she was fine, before letting her face sink again. Merlin saw this. 'Are you alright?' he asked again kindly, his voice slightly concerned.

She opened her mouth and then closed it, wondering if she should confess her thoughts to her friend. 'Merlin, have you noticed that Morgana and Arthur have been acting a little… strange.' He frowned.

'What do you mean?'

'Well last night Morgana seemed a little upset; she went to bed very early and this morning she got up early and bathed in yesterday's bathwater.'

'Doesn't seem _that _strange Gwen… perhaps she's ill,' he suggested, stroking his thumbs on Gwen's shoulders in order to comfort her; she seemed a little distressed.

'Well, perhaps… but she was very off at the party, nervous, and didn't you notice her meeting up with Arthur in the stone archway?'

'They do that all the time Gwen—'

'Yes but just then, Arthur carried Morgana up to her chambers… she was unconscious.' A light frown brushed Merlin's eyebrows.

'W- What? _Unconscious? Why?!' _His voice rose in panic as Gwen shook her head helplessly.

'I don't know! He said she was overwhelmed from the party but… Oh Merlin, he looked so _upset!_ His eyes… he looked like he'd been crying!'

'Crying?'

'Yes! And when I went to go and get Gaius he became angry, told me to leave them alone.'

Merlin slowly let go of her shoulders, staring straight ahead. He tried untangling the thoughts in his mind without realizing that he was walking straight towards Morgana's chambers. He stopped himself just as he heard voices wafting through the side of the thick oak door. Gwen hadn't shut it properly, he noticed.

Just as he was about to leave, Morgana's stifled sobs rang through to the other side of the door. Startled, Merlin pressed his ear to the wood as if it were a second nature. Blinded by instinct, he didn't even think to see if it was a private conversation.

'What are we going to do Arthur?' she sobbed.

'I'll stay with you… you'll be safe.'

Merlin frowned in confusion, his fingers on the oak of the door.

'But Arthur… you saw what he did! He has magic! And it doesn't matter if you're here, he can still… have his way with me. I can't let that happen again.'

The boy's eyes widened, and a choked gasp escaped his throat. He staggered backwards, eyelids flitting, face crestfallen. Morgana had been raped… Oh God. His head in a frenzied rush he recovered in enough time to press his ear to the door again, although he wasn't sure he wanted to hear anymore.

'Are you sure we cannot just tell my father? His men would have DeMalo killed…'

'No! Arthur please, I can't even bring myself to think of it! You remembered his threat… in front of everyone in front of… Uther.'

There was a pause, and then a sigh.

'Alright,' he muttered. 'As long as no-one else finds out, you'll be safe—'

Merlin froze then, but not voluntarily. A stiffness ran through him as he saw someone emerge from the shadows, their hand outstretched, their eyes yellowed in sorcery, chanting a complicated spell.

His blood turned to ice-water and he broke out into a cold sweat, realizing it was DeMalo. And Merlin knew the spell all too well; it was the spell wizards used to paralyze people.

Hate filled him like ash in a vase as he desperately tried to move or speak… but he was stuck there, hearing the man enter Morgana's room. His fingers itched to use magic upon him, to fight him right there and then… but he could only watch, powerless, as the man entered his friend's room.

Morgana and Arthur were frozen like statues. In spite of the spell they both had a look of terror on their faces, as DeMalo approached them both. Merlin's heart hammered in his chest. What was he doing?

'Morgana,' he said softly, stroking the top of her head. Morgana's face was twitching in effort. He could see the pure desperation in her eyes. A throttled cry fell quietly from her mouth. 'What did I tell you about keeping our secret to yourself?'

In spite of her fear, Morgana still managed to look confused as DeMalo grinned at her. He nodded towards the door.

'Arthur, I believe you man servant now knows about my interactions with the Lady Morgana.' Arthur's eyes fell on the door, where Merlin was standing. His face twisted into a scowl, as Merlin tried his best to look sorry. 'A deal is a deal my dear… now you must pay the price.' Merlin's eyes widened in horror as DeMalo peeled back Morgana's covers, before lifting her skirts. Arthur tried desperately to look away, but his eyes were forced on the two.

Then, just like in the courtyard, DeMalo calmly removed his own clothes. Merlin couldn't believe this was happening. He longed to scream. He longed to do something, anything, but there was no stopping DeMalo from stripping Morgana of her innocence a second time.

Again, he cleaned himself up using the fold of Morgana's skirt as tears leaked from Arthur's eyes. Only this time he left Morgana half-naked before dashing swiftly from the room. Once in the corridor he clicked his fingers, removed the spell, and left the three people alone.

Morgana gasped, her brow laced as she forced her skirts back over her legs. A sob finally departed Arthur's mouth, coupled with the tears that seamed their way down his face. He leaned over, hugging Morgana fiercely. 'I'm sorry,' he cried. 'I'm so sorry.'

Morgana clung to his arm again, a shriek forming in her own mouth. Soon she was in hysterics, digging her nails into the soft side of Arthur's arms, her mouth a red cavern, screaming as tears ripped down her pale cheeks. The two were both shaking, unable to rid their minds of what they had just witnessed. Merlin stood in the doorway awkwardly. His mind told him to run after DeMalo, but something in him knew it wasn't as simple as that; if it was, then why was his head still on his shoulders?

His own tears were bled down the side of his face, the true horror of the situation slapping him like cold air on a frozen day. Arthur suddenly stopped, his eyes meeting with Merlin's. The servant braced himself, waiting for his punishment. He'd gladly welcome it. But to his surprise, it never came; instead Arthur simply looked away, wrapping his arms even tighter around his sister and burying his face in her hair.

That's when Merlin realized. It didn't matter. He really didn't; Morgana was it great danger and they were helpless to stop it.

**OOC, I know. But again, be nice if you reviewed (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**The usual trigger warnings, OOC ness, suggestiveness... also hints to pedophilia here but no direct scenes. Here we learn more about this creepy guard and what his motives are. **

**Also, Arthur I think is the most OOC out of all of them; he doesn't share a tender moment with Morgana on screen very often but I wanted him to grow as a character as well as a brother. **

**And Merlin is tamer in this chapter simply because he's not got the right chance yet to twat DeMalo with his awesome magic. I think that when someone's life and dignity is in so much peril, the people around them would be less direct with the source of the problem and more with the comforting of the character... specially when it's the king's ward and the king is slightly genocidal towards sorcerers. **

**Anyway I'm going on. I hope you enjoy this chapter, be lovely if you reviewed even if you think it's trite. **

Arthur's hand was still on Morgana's. She was shaking heavily, her head turned away from him.

He hated this; this was not his place. He wanted to fight, to do something rather than to simply sit and comfort the girl. That was Gwen's job.

Merlin very slowly approached Arthur. Aware of his presence, the man looked away, instead fixing his eyes of his sister. The servant felt a pang of guilt as his friend narrowed his pained eyes away from him, swallowing loudly. 'Arthur I…' he stared at his shoes, not knowing what to say. 'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been there… I should have—'

'It's not your fault,' Arthur muttered, his voice scratching in his throat. He sounded eerily composed, like the calm before the storm, his face still turned from Merlin, his eyes unfocused with grief.

Merlin swallowed.

'What should I do?' he croaked. 'Please Arthur… just tell me what I should do…'

The prince stood, sharply letting go of Morgana's hand. His face was clouded with anger as he looked Merlin straight in the eyes.

'Nothing! You do nothing! Do you hear me?' he hissed. Merlin nodded, dazed. 'No-one else can find out,' he said firmly, before slowly lowering himself back down on the edge of her bed. Morgana began to groan in her sleep, her expression so pained as she tossed her head from side to side. Arthur eyed her nervously, wondering what to do. He began stroking her hand awkwardly as he bit his lip.

The three were positioned in a mis-matched triangle, Merlin still hovering behind them as Morgana gasped loudly. Arthur watched her with a pitiful gaze, his face trying so hard not to break. Leaning forward he placed a hand on her head, stroking her hair. It was so soft, like reams of curly midnight-black silk. Morgana's gasping thinned down to a frightened whimper, the feeling of Arthur's warm hands on her head calming her.

Merlin's thoughts took a different turn.

'What does DeMalo want?' he asked timidly. Arthur scowled.

'I think he'd made his priorities quite clear,' the man muttered, a lump in his throat. His eyes fell upon Morgana's sleeping face and he clenched them shut, remembering the horrific sight of DeMalo parting her lily-white legs, calmly putting himself inside of her, pounding into her viciously…

'Yes but… remember Edwin? '

Arthur looked up at Merlin. 'Edwin?'

'He used Morgana to get to Uther… Perhaps DeMalo is just using her?'

He frowned. 'What, so you think my _father's_ in danger?'

'Perhaps.'

Arthur's face was panicked as he looked from Merlin to Morgana. 'Well… I suppose if he's a sorcerer…'

'Perhaps Uther had his parents killed.'

'Yes, well, that's what happened with Edwin.' The two looked at each other before turning back to Morgana. She began to wriggle in her sleep, rolling onto her side and facing Arthur. Her pale lips parted, her brow furrowed, and a choked scream escaped her mouth.

Arthur's eyes widened as her shrieks sounded through the castle. 'Morgana!' he hissed, trying to wake her. If someone heard her…

'Morgana!' he said again loudly, shaking her shoulder. She was screaming still, bucking wildly as if trying to escape something. 'Oh God!' His face switched to Merlin. 'Get out of the room!' he ordered; if his father came in and saw Merlin there, he'd be lost for an explanation.

Merlin obediently flitted from the room, darting swiftly down the corridor. He stopped, seeing Uther run towards Morgana's chambers. Wishing he could alert Arthur, he quickly darted between one of the stone ridges, reproachfully watching the king push open Morgana's door.

Merlin frowned, feeling someone approach behind him, before whipping around to see DeMalo smiling at him. His frown turned into a livid scowl as he clenched his fists at the man. 'Eavesdropping again eh Merlin?' he whispered. 'You know how much trouble that can cause.' He smirked again, turning to face Morgana's open door. Merlin did likewise; the door was ajar, and not powerful spell could go unnoticed from this distance.

'Morgana, what's wrong?' he heard Uther ask. There was a pause, before a shaky breath.

'Nothing I… I had a bad dream…'

There was another long pause, in which Merlin saw Uther place a hand on Morgana's head. He turned to face Arthur.

'And why are you here?'

'I heard her screaming and went to see what was wrong,' Arthur answered, his eyes locking nervously with Morgana's. Uther watched them both, gave Morgana's head another stroke, before slowly standing.

'Will you stay with her?' he asked Arthur.

'Yes father, I'll stay here.'

'Good.' He gave one last look at the two before leaving. Once Uther was gone, Arthur dropped down beside Morgana.

'Are you alright,' he asked anxiously, cupping her face in his hands. Leaning over, he unexpectedly kissed the top of her head. Merlin watched, a little baffled by his actions as Morgana nodded, clutching his arm for support. Arthur pulled her closer, knowing she needed holding; if Uther couldn't comfort her, than he had to.

Merlin frowned, before turning to face DeMalo.

'DeMalo,' he said thoughtfully. 'Bit of an odd name isn't it?'

The knight frowned as Merlin continued. 'Literally translates into "evil" .' DeMalo's lips tightened, stretching into an ugly white line. His eyes narrowed. 'I was just thinking… it's probably not your _real _name is it?' he raised an eyebrow, allowing himself to pause before his voice turned low with seriousness. ' Why do you care about getting your revenge on Morgana so much? She hasn't hurt you, has she?'

'I refuse to talk to you about this,' he growled.

'No, please, I'm interested,' Merlin enjoyed the weakness DeMalo was feeling as he tried to meet eyes with the man. He was staring off down the corridor, his eyes suddenly full of pain.

'Uther killed my parents,' he said in a low voice, before pinning his eyes on the floor. Merlin paused. He knew there was more to it.

'What else happened?' he asked. DeMalo's head shot up, suddenly angry.

'That is none of your business!' he scowled. Merlin's eyes bored into him.

'Listen,' he said. 'If we're going to do this, if you're going to hurt Morgana like this, you can at least tell me why… I mean, she's an _innocent!_ It wasn't her fault—'

'My sister was an innocent too!' DeMalo whipped around, his voice broken in sadness and anger. Breaking his gaze with Merlin he said in a small voice: 'They both were.'

'Both?'

DeMalo turned away from Merlin, stalking to the window. 'I was a middle child,' he muttered. 'Just nine years old… my younger sister was just an infant when Uther had my parents killed.' He inhaled sharply before continuing. 'My older sister, she was thirteen… so _young_… and with no father to supply for us she had to… she had to… make money in the only way she could.'

Merlin gasped quietly, his eyes wide. Suddenly all sadness fell from DeMalo's voice, as he shook his head angrily. 'I slept in the same bed as her!' he shrieked, his voice rising in anger. 'And night after night, man after man…she grew weaker, and they were so brutal! She told me to look away but I could not; the room was tiny, and there was nowhere to put the baby, so all three of us… we had no choice but to _watch!'_

Merlin frowned at the man.

'And then… well my younger sister passed away and my older sister died of consumption.' He was speaking differently now, almost matter-of-factly. 'Then I was left alone, with no money, no home… and it was all Uther's fault. It was just my luck that I managed to become one of the knights of Camalot while he was none the wiser; the perfect chance.'

'You're not going to _kill_ him are you!?'

'No. No, that would be too kind.' He turned back to Merlin, his face in a sickening glee. 'Far too kind. No, he must suffer as I suffered. He must pay with the blood of his child.' DeMalo turned his head towards Morgana's room. 'One day… one day I will make _him _watch. He will see the pain in Morgana. He will hear her scream...'

He stopped, watching a guard walk up the corridor. He gave him a curt nod as he passed, before turning away from Merlin and walking back through the castle like nothing had happened.


End file.
